Photos in Low Light, No Flash - Yes!
This post ties in with previous ones I have written about how to get creative control; either using the aperture, or using the shutter speed settings. Now I address a special type of situation: You want to capture something, maybe an event, that takes place indoors, and you either are not allowed to use flash or you don’t WANT to use flash.
The event could be a public performance or maybe a wedding ceremony. In either case, using flash may be a no-no. Assuming you have a camera with built-in flash unit and nothing more, the result of a picture snapped with the flash unit as major light source is nothing much to brag about. Sure, you can clearly see what is going on but that’s about it. The light is harsh and ugly, everything close to the camera is very brightly lit and whatever is further away gets gradually darker, disappearing into blackness.
Then there is the fact that firing off a flash may be very distracting and irritating. Like during a wedding ceremony - how romantic is it to have a flash zapped in your face at the exact moment you say “YES”?
If you want to tackle situations like these successfully, getting both beautiful pictures that convey the mood of the event AND remaining friends with people around you - then learn to work in ambient light without any flash!
And again, I bring out the good old Exposure Triangle:
1. Exposure Time = Shutter Speed
2. Aperture = Size of Light Opening
3. ISO Setting = Sensor-sensitivity
These are the main in-camera factors you have to master, to be successful. — Now, would you believe me if I told you the picture above was made with a hand-held camera, without any tripod or such support? Yet I’m told it was. And the only light comes from that candle!
How was that possible? Well, the photographer must have a firm understanding of The Exposure Triangle. To get a picture like this, you have to get as much light into the camera as ever possible, at a short enough time to avoid motion blur. Now look at those three factors. Which one do you use to get as much light as you can into the camera, in short order? Right, number 2; the aperture setting!
So, you set the aperture at the largest opening (ie. the lowest number on the scale) possible. If you are lucky enough to have a digital SLR, you may be able to choose between different lenses, and pick the one with the largest maximum aperture (= the “fastest” lens).
Now, what else can you do to get a clear image with as little light as possible? Correct! - You crank up item number 3, the ISO-setting, as far as it goes! This makes the camera sensor react to smaller amounts of light, at the expense of a somewhat impaired image quality. You get more “noise”. And you may be willing to live with that noise, which won’t be so noticeable if you don’t make the image very large.
Or you can actually get rid of at least most of it using post-processing. I’ve heard there is for instance software called “Noise Ninja”, designed to reduce such image noise.
By using a large aperture and a high ISO-setting we have, hopefully, been able to acieve our goal: To use a shutter speed (ie. exposure time) short enough to get a sharp image without motion blur. And if there still isn’t enough, here is another little photo tip: Deliberately under-expose the image slightly! You can correct that later, using any image-editing software like Photoshop.
Of course, how much light is “enough” varies depending on your ability to hold the camera still using a long exposure like 1/15 of a second or so. I gave you some how-to tips on that in an earlier post: How to Hold Your Digital Camera. And if the subject moves slightly during the exposure, the effect may actually be very interesting - with some luck!
Photo credits: child picture: Ctd 2005; performer picture: reportergimmi
